New to android development, heml me with this app written in HTML5, CSS, and Javascript

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Raymond Vere 2
Raymond Vere
  • Forum posts: 5

Mar 4, 2016, 3:43:00 AM via Website

I an creating an app in HTML5 and JS. All my files are in a folder and are either image files or css, js, and html files. I have this program I downloaded from a site with the doimain name mrchay, you can google it; this program packages everything in my index folder into an apk file. In the end I have an apk file I can install onto my phone, but I get this icon and app name I dont like. I was wondering what exactly does this program do to my index folder to turn it into an apk file and give it a custom name. I know I could probably change the fie name by getting into the programs source code. I was hoping someone could tell me where to find the strings.

Could someone describe to me what this program is doing to my index folder, all I know is that it packages it up into an apk file and then it signs it, what does this mean?

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Philipp Eichhorn 3
Philipp Eichhorn
  • Forum posts: 12

Mar 10, 2016, 4:00:16 PM via Website

What that site is probably doing, is creating a single activity with a WebView which then shows your site / assets.

Signing is similar to people signing stuff in the real world. It is to ensure that something was really created / signed by a certain person or organization. The Google Play Store (and the Android OS for that matter as well if I'm not mistaken?) only allows apps which have been signed. In addition each future update must contain the same signature.

With those two points in mind, there are my two cents:

  • If this web service does the signing for you and does not give you the option to handle custom certificates yourself, you are bound to this service for the whole lifetime of you app
  • It sounds like you developed an app which does not use any phone specific features. If that is the case, why are you wrapping it in an apk / app? Why not just use a regular website? If instead you are trying to cover multiple platforms and what to leverage the goodies of each platform, take a look at PhoneGap (there might although be something 'hotter' on the market, not sure).

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